Comics like ‘Chacha Chaudhary aur Sabu ke Karnaame’, ‘Nagraj ke Kisse’, ‘Dhruv ki Dushmano ko Takkar or Chulbuli Pinki’ can never be forgotten. These stories, carved in colour on pages, have taken young readers, at times, into the world of fantasy and at other times, have made them a detective. Visual stories leave a strong impression on children’s minds and because of which Raj Comics, in the times of the COVID-19 pandemic, produced two such comics for kids, giving a message of becoming mentally strong while saving one’s self from the coronavirus.

The list of comic superheroes is incomplete without the mention of ‘Super Commando Dhruv,’ who is the most popular among the Indian comics. Super Commando Dhruv’s popularity has, at one time, beaten Nagraj’s fame too. The best thing about Dhruv is that he does not have any superpower and beats his enemies with the help of his motorcycle.

‘Super Commando Dhruv – The Struggle with Depression’, launched by Raj Comics aimed at mental health in the COVID-19 period, is one such comic that sends a message to people to fight the current situation. The 12-page comic book is being widely appreciated by people. Ayush Gupta and Manoj Gupta of Raj Comics says how this special comic book was made:

From Nagraj to Commando Dhruv

Super Commando is kids’ hero but are elders also amazed by him? Dhruv, who has won heart by saving kids from a dangerous gang or common people’s lives, has been seen fighting depression these days. However, he wins over depression also in the new comic book.

Ayush Gupta, the writer of Super Commando and brand manager of Raj Comics, says that the country is fighting the coronavirus right now, which has also affected the mental health of people with many people going into depression.

“There are many people around me who are currently taking medication and the story idea about the book came after talking to them,” Gupta says. He adds, “Through this comic-book, we want to tell people how to make themselves strong in these situations.”

“Do not hide if you are depressed, and reach out to people, doctors, and take counseling. Our Superhero beats depression the same way,” Gupta says, adding that this is their second comic in the COVID-19 times.

We had launched ‘Nagraj – Coronaman ka Hamla’ during the lockdown, he says, adding that the book received good response digitally, all over the world.

“We decided to create awareness among people through Nagraj, who is famous among children,” Gupta says. Talking about the Super Commando Dhruv comic book, he says, “This is our second book, which is co-written by me and my father Manoj Gupta.”

A Superhero also needs help

“During these times, people prefer being at home. As the schools are closed, kids have resorted to online education as well as they like reading comic books online,” Gupta says. He further explains, “In the story, we try to tell that a superhero also needs help and in that case, it does not matter who you are, what you do, one should never hesitate to ask for help.”

“The app is sketched by artist Ashwin Amarnath R and it is available on many social platforms, including our app,” he says.

Dhruv was born in 1987

“This comic book is a small effort in creating awareness about saving one’s self from the effect of COVID-19 pandemic,” says Manoj Gupta, Raj Comics founder and the co-writer of the story.

Talking about the origin of Dhruv, Manoj says, “In the world of comic books, Superhero commando Dhruv was born in 1987 and was created by artist and writer Manoj Sinha, whom we launched in the market in the same year.”